Association of Patients' Geographic Origins with Viral Hepatitis Co-infection Patterns, Spain.

To determine if hepatitis C virus seropositivity and active hepatitis B virus infection in HIV-positive patients vary with patients' geographic origins, we studied co-infections in HIV-seropositive adults. Active hepatitis B infection was more prevalent in persons from Africa, and hepatitis C seropositivity was more common in persons from eastern Europe.

Delayed diagnosis of HIV infection in a multicenter cohort: prevalence, risk factors, response to HAART and impact on mortality.

To study the prevalence of Delayed HIV Diagnosis (DHD) and its associated risk factors, to evaluate the effect of DHD on virological and immunological responses to HAART and to estimate the impact of DHD on all-causes mortality. Prospective cohort of 2, 564 HIV-positive HAART-naïve subjects attending 19 hospitals in Spain, 2004-2006. Estimations were made by logistic regression and survival analyses by Cox regression models.

Safety of Switching Nevirapine Twice Daily to Nevirapine Once Daily in Virologically Suppressed Patients.

Background: The strategy of switching nevirapine (NVP) twice daily to once daily was evaluated.

Methods: Forty-eight-week randomized, open, multicenter trial. Stable HIV-infected patients on NVP twice daily for >12-18 weeks with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) <2.

[Current infectious disease care in Spain].

Despite the specialist activity of Infectious Diseases not being officially recognised, the majority of the hospitals in the autonomous communities of Spain are equipped with structures, with significant heterogeneity among them, to be able to offer high quality care in these diseases. The main characteristics of and Infectious Diseases Department is its important healthcare activity, more than in other officially recognised medical specialities, and also its important interrelationship with other services in the hospital which is clearly horizontal healthcare. Furthermore, the aforementioned infectious disease care units have developed important activities in the arena of community and public health and, in collaboration with health authorities, contribute to the rational use of antimicrobials and the relationship with Primary Care.

Efficacy and safety of a once daily regimen with efavirenz, lamivudine, and didanosine, with and without food, as initial therapy for HIV Infection: the ELADI study.

The combination of didanosine (ddI) and lamivudine (3TC) is attractive considering its low cost, potency, tolerability, and convenience (once daily administration), but it is not recommended as first-line therapy for HIV infection. A prospective, multicenter, open, comparative trial was conducted in HIV-infected, antiretroviral-naive persons in Spain who begun a QD regimen with efavirenz (EFV), 3TC, plus ddI, the latter with or without food. A total of 103 patients were recruited in the study.

Role of weight-based ribavirin dosing and extended duration of therapy in chronic hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients: the PRESCO trial.

The response to pegylated interferon (pegIFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) as treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is lower in HIV-coinfected than in HCV-monoinfected patients and could be due to suboptimal RBV dosing and/or insufficient duration of therapy in prior trials. In a prospective, multicenter, open, comparative trial, HCV/HIV-coinfected patients received pegIFN plus weight-based RBV for 48 or 72 weeks (HCV genotypes 1 and 4) and 24 or 48 weeks (HCV genotypes 2 and 3). Use of didanosine was not allowed.

Premature treatment discontinuation in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients receiving pegylated interferon plus weight-based ribavirin.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C therapy in HIV patients is often penalized by more frequent premature treatment discontinuations. It is unclear what the relative contribution of more adverse events and/or early virological failures are.

Methods: PRESCO was a prospective, multicentre, comparative trial, in which 389 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with CD4+ T-cell counts >300 cells/ml and elevated aminotransferases received pegylated interferon-alpha2a (peg IFN-alpha2a) 180 mg per week plus ribavirin (RBV) 1,000-1,200 mg daily.

Baseline serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level and response at week 4 are the best predictors of relapse after treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.

Background: Relapse after achieving virologic response to anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment considerably reduces sustained virologic response rates. It is unclear what the main predictors of relapse in HCV/HIV-coinfected patients are.

Patients And Methods: The Pegasys Ribavirina España Coinfección (PRESCO) study evaluated short and extended duration of treatment for chronic hepatitis C using pegylated interferon (peg-IFN)-alpha2a at a dose of 180 microg/wk plus weight-based ribavirin (RBV) at a dose of 1000 to 1200 mg/d in HIV-infected subjects.